The human being's brain is a sea of information that is ready to be tapped. The brain unfolds most of the functions that aid the person to function normally throughout different stages of life. This happens when the brain receives stimulus from the environment. This response to the stimulus develops the ability to perform tasks such as memory formation, physical coordination and even speech. The process of learning these skills is what is known as cognitive development. There are various activities that can enhance the process of cognitive development. A few will be highlighted according to the age of the child.
The infant room will host children between the ages of three months and two years. These children will be encouraged to engage in the provided activities. The care givers will provide soft stuffed toys to the children so that they can develop their grasping abilities. This activity will be carried out with the youngest of the infant room children. The older children will use the same stuffed animals to play games with the care givers. This will be done in the form of peek a boo or hide and seek games. The care givers will hide the stuffed toy so that the child can try to find it (Meadows, 2017).
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This activity is aimed at helping the child to develop a sense of object permanence. This concept is derived from Piagets Theory of Cognitive Development. The infant stage is also known as the sensorimotor stage of development in Piaget's theory. The theory explains that the infant will learn at an accelerated rate during this stage. Infants who are meeting their developmental goals will know that the objects used during activities are separate entities from them. The infant will also be able to gain knowledge that they can influence and manipulate objects.
Children benefit from touching and manipulating objects as they get to develop their sensorimotor skills. Once they establish that the objects are separate entities, then it is possible to introduce object permanence. Hiding an object from an infant will at first be met with sadness and frustration because the child does not know that the object is not lost forever. Repeatation of this activity will teach the infant that objects are still in existence even when they cannot be seen. The peek a boo game played with stuffed toys will help infants develop object permanence and meet the developmental goals of this stage.
The early childhood room will accommodate children between the ages of 2 and 7 years. These children will be provided with colored blocks which they will use to assemble and disassemble objects. The objects created will be based on a picture that is provided to the child. The child's task will be to make a similar object from the playing blocks provided. The objects to be created from the blocks will increase in complexity as the child gets older. The picture will also be withdrawn at some point so that the child can try and recreate the object from memory.
This stage is known as the Pre-operational stage of development. At this stage, children tend to exhibit egocentric tendencies. They are unable to understand the perspectives or views of other people. This is because they expect everyone to reason, think and act like they do. Piaget explains that children develop some level of social skills during the end of this stage. This happens during play and interaction. This stage is characterized by a struggle with constancy, egocentrism and concreteness. Development of memory is also more enhanced here (Meadows, 2017).
The building block activities help to prepare the child to understand the concept of concreteness. The child reinforces object permanence and also develops his motor skills. Individual construction of an object brings out the concept of egocentrism as every child is able to express themselves uniquely. Observing other children's objects will help the child to transition from the Pre-operational stage to the operational stage. Role playing with the object created will also help the child to appreciate the differences in other people (Meadows, 2017).
The adolescent room will be prepared for children between the ages of 12 and 19. These children will be provided with board games which they will play against an opponent. The opponent maybe a care giver or another attending child. The games will include scrabble, chess and checkers. Younger participants will begin with simple games like snakes and ladders. They will then choose any other game that interests them. Card games such as solitaire and poker will also be available. Those who prefer solitary activities will let have the option of playing Sudoku (Meadows, 2017).
This stage is called the Formal Operation Stage. Piaget asserts that a person in this phase uses the information that is already known to them to create logic and a trail of reasoned thought. General information is then used to rearrange facts and create a conclusion. The concept of deductive reasoning is key in this stage. The games above help the participants to develop their deductive skills. Thinking critically about the next move during a game, is similar to decision making and planning in actual life situations. Additionally, trying to predict the next move of the rival player will create a sense of understanding that builds cohesiveness. The different options during board games also provide a variety of options. The participants get to learn that problems can be handled through a range of problems. They are also able to learn how to relate cause and effect.
Reference
Meadows, S. (2017). Developing thinking: approaches to children's cognitive development . Routledge.
